Full Moon O Sagashite

Publisher
Viz
Director
Toshiyuki Kato
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
52 episodes
Year
2002

Preview of Full Moon O Sagashite Episode 1

By David Rasmussen
29th May 06

If you only had one year to live, what dreams would you aspire to fulfill in that brief time?
What aspirations, achievements, accomplishments, or other “a” list words would you endeavor to complete?
The fulfillment of a seemingly futile wish is the focus of Full Moon O Sagashite, which takes the Fancy Lala concept and amps it up a few notches.
Before that, a question. Have you picked up Shojo Beat yet? Recently Shojo Beat V. 2, Issue #6 just came out with an exclusive DVD preview of Full Moon O Sagashite Episode 1 (English Dub only), which (thanks to Right Stuf International) I didn’t have to wait all the way until Shojo Beat V. 2, Issue #6 was available here in Hawaii (thus how I am reviewing it today).

Back to Lala. In BANDAI’s Fancy Lala, a young girl who seems to have time on her mind is given a strange time and space altering pen and pad. When she draws on the pad whatever she draws becomes reality, while the pen itself has the power to age her into the form of a young adult by spinning time forward. With this power, she became first a model, then an idol singer who eventually lost her power as the series came to an end. A beautiful series, with several memorable episodes including her three episode trip to see the elders, her first promotional trip to shill her first record, and the Kitten Lilu episode to name a few memorable moments of the series.

So how does that rate up to Full Moon O Sagashite? The rules are flipped upside down and shaken (not stirred). Mitsuki Koyama is having a hard time finding things to be happy about in her life these days. At the tender age of 12 she is already staring way too much into the face of possible death, since she has been struggling with throat cancer for awhile now. It is uncertain how she got throat cancer, but I’m sure the series will explain that in future episodes. However, regardless of how she got it one thing is clear, the disease is slowly robbing her of her life as it steals her one true love, her ability to sing.
That, more than anything, hurts her the most as it gives her something to cling onto. She loves to sing, and wants more than anything to become a professional singer, but circumstances seemingly out of her control conspire to rob her of these dreams.
She can’t sing loud enough to be noticed because it causes her pain to use her voice in such a way.
She can’t have a operation that would remove the tumors because she fears the operation will have the worst case effect of causing her to lose her voice for good, killing her dreams of becoming a singer.
She can’t even lean on family for comfort because her grandmother is a bitter old pill who seems deadset on killing her granddaughter’s dreams… only as you and I both know there’s probably some deep underlying reason why she’s so bitter. Maybe it has to do with Mitsuki’s mother, who the grandmother notes she is becoming more and more like, which drives her to derail her granddaughter’s singing aspirations.

Other than the ultra hot doctor (aren’t they all hot in series like this?) to cheer her up, and her dreams of becoming a professional singer, there isn’t much to hold her together. Worst, it seems her dream is more than just that as it is also a promise made to a boy she has these deep feelings for. This young man, who I think is probably also ill as Mitsuki, made a promise with her that they will have made their dreams come true when they meet again, which drives her all the more to make her dreams come true so she can face him with pride and show him how hard she worked.
Yeah, I see a bitter turn when and if the chance to reunite comes about, but that’s neither here and now and will be brought up again (yes) in a future review. This is the here and now.

And as if to assert the truth of Mitsuki’s ill thought decision to not undertake that surgery that could save her, she is visited by the no so scary visages of twin “Harbingers of Death” who, upon realizing with abit of shock that their “subject” can see them, accidentally blurt out in their surprise and shock that she’s going to die in one year. Yeah, that’s a nice way to start the day. Right.
Once the two quarreling and bickering “Harbingers” (a young male who can transform into a cat, and a female (who seems to be his superior) who dresses like a pop star, has bunny ears, and can transform into a bunny) get over this they try to talk to the subject of their visitation, only to realize that their revelation had NOT struck fear or horror in their subject, far from it it had steeled her determination to become a singer to the point that she skips out on her “visitors” leaving them holding the ethereal bag.

Once they catch up to her, they find her trying to break into a TV Studio because they had turned her away for not being 16 years old. So moved by her wish, and the fact it was their fault to begin with by prematurely announcing her imminent death which made her deadset on being a singer, they create the means by which Mitsuki can become a whole new woman by allowing her to magically become a healthy cancer free 16 year old young woman, more than capable of carrying out her dreams of stardom.

This is the beginning of her road.
A road that will have high points, low points, danger, joys and the occasional harshness of reality that forces it’s way into her dreams time and time again.
Which brings us to the end of the preview, and the promise to come.
During June (the first month of the 2006 Summer of Reviews) I’ll have reviews coming for Full Moon O Sagashite V. 1-4 & the first Full Moon O Sagashite DVD to go with the June 27th premiere, with more to come in the future. Now a quick breakdown.

Full Moon O Sagashite Preview Breakdown
What’s Hot?
This is the beginning of what I have a good feeling will be the shojo to talk about in 2006 Anime wise. While I am going to hold off on a full endorsement of this, until at least I had a chance to give a full breakdown of the first DVD at the end of June, I have high expectations for this release.

What’s Not?
If I am hopeful about the Anime itself, I am NOT hopeful about the badly done English Dub.
I don’t know, but it made me grit my teeth listening to the voices they picked for this one. Sure, like Azumanga Daioh (which I made a full change of heart over) the cast might get into the swing of it and do a Star Trek - TNG by getting better at the roles with each episode, but it’s too early to say if that’ll happen.
For now, for now, I don’t like the English Dub. No, no I don’t.

Moments to Remember?
Sorry, it’s way too early to be thinking about that.

What to Ignore?
Sorry, it’s also way too early to be thinking about that.

Overall?
This preview is, in my reflection, a promise to viewers who watch this. A promise that I see will come to hopeful fruitation when the first DVD comes out on June 27th, 2006.
So when it comes out I’ll tell you more as I give you the full review, so stay tuned.

In the meantime…
Of course we could just as well not wait for the end of June as you can already check out the beginning of the story with Full Moon O Sagashite V. 1. Check it out, and not fear bad English voice dubbing, in the days to come. See you then!

-- David Rasmussen 29th May 06

Full Moon O Sagashite Images